i recently recall seeing a thread about walking to your hunting spot in the dark and how everybody does this quietley and safely which made me wonder a little bit about night vision.....Anyone ever try any kind of night vision to walk in or even to see what is making noise around you before the sun come up or after it goes down? I hate not knowing what that was that just walked right in front of the stand at 5:30am(just because im curious) and some night vision would have come in handy years ago when i stumbled onto a very angry feral hog while returning to deer camp years ago while rifle hunting... just wondering what everyones thoughts are, im thinking about picking up a "cheap" night vision monocular for about $150 if can come up with the money to
I'd hate to get caught with one regardless if I was using it within the bounds of the laws or not. To me it would be right up there with a spotlight. :P
yea i guess i see what you are saying, i was just thinking in terms of actually getting to and from the stand but i can see where even though that is not illegal how is anyone supposed to know how you were actually using or planning on using it.....although i think it would be pretty darn complicated try to look through handheld night vision goggles and shoot at anything at all even with a rifle(I can understand something such as a night vision scope mounted to a rifle, but not a handheld) but i think you are right, even just using it to walk to and from the stand is so close to the legal/illegal line that it would be a very stupid idea
Im in the army and with my job I get some pretty cool stuff, When it comes to night vision as a civilian you will end up paying an arm and a leg to get any decent night vision. Yea there's some cheap but its gona be garbage. Honestly the only thing I could see that would help you guys would be thermal. I know FLIR has a new handheld out for hunters being advertised. But guess what its still crazy expensive, like 1500 or 2 grand I think. Nice if you have the money but still crazy.
I dont know if you would be allowed to have that kind of gear with you during the hunting season here in Calif. Preseason you can use it to scout with, no problem. But during the scouting season I only have my revolver with me, not my rifle. So my hands are free during scouting season. An ordinary flashlight is no problem to get you along a trail during hunting season, just not a spotlight or starlight scope or FLIR. Usually I will mark the trail with surveyors' tape, and I just follow the tape. Other times more often I set up my backpack pup tent as a blind, and when I wake up on opening day, before dawn, I just crawl out of the tent, onto the trap which is the doorstep of the tent, and that is where I lie as I wait for the bucks to come out, before I start my stalk on them after they have bedded down around late morning. They are usually asleep by noon. I normally spot and stalk in the mornings, then stand-hunt in the evenings, with a nap from noon to 4 pm in the day.
